Zootopia: The Reckoning
by Zinx
Summary: 5 years after Bellwether's initial trial and arrest, followed by a prison sentence. The city has fallen into complete silence…until…a wave of incidents emerge seemingly out of nowhere. It is then ZPD knew that something has been set in motion…by someone very familiar, yet secretive at the same time. Only one question remains unanswered; What is it that has been set in motion?
1. The System, The Secret, The Calling-Card

Chapter 1: The System, The Secret, The Calling-Card

Secrets…what are they? Mere mysteries of those who dared to defy reality…or of reality, which desired to defy itself? The unending questions with millions of answers…the question is…which one is true?

After assistant mayor Bellwether was successfully arrested by Officer Judith-Laverne Hopps and Nicholas Wilde, she was put through trial process, resulting in a long lasting prison sentence.

Shortly, after such enormous success, Officer Hopps was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant, following Officer Wilde's promotion to Lieutenant as well. As far as everyone believed, Bellwether's legacy was discontinued, Nighthowler Serum was gone, wiped from existence thanks to ZPD and Bogg…but…was it all a part of a carefully crafted schematic, a grand plan which tremble Zootopia…and pound it to its knees…

5 Years Later…

It was Tuesday, dusky evening has fallen upon the city of Zootopia, it pounded the night sky as it cried its tears; chilling, merciless wind roamed now ebony black, dark streets of Zootopia…and yet there was one who embraced such atmosphere…for he…was the true predator in this city, the only sinner in the city overwhelmed with angels.

"I-I don't know…I swear!" Yelled a stranger with agonising fear. He was held against freezing concrete wall. At first glance, it would appear as if he's talking to a ghost, a shadow crafted by nothing but imagination and ingenuity, an act of organised fiction…but there was a force, holding him by the neck, stripping him of essence of air, making him gasp for it.

"It seems I haven't made myself clear to you, now, allow me to clarify. Where is Lionzo." This stranger replied gradually, but straightforwardly, in monotone manner and gravely voice. However, the only noticeable feature of this stranger, were emerald green eyes, illuminating from the depths of ebony night, guided by the dull light of street lamps.

"I already told you…I have no idea! I would leaked his location…if only I knew it." The cat spoke with fear in his voice, gasping for air as his tone implied to spare his life.

"In this case…you're of no use to me." The green-eye stranger spoke clearly, yet…solemnly and sharply.

Suddenly, a dash of pain pounded the cat to the chilling ground. Realisation followed, he knew his life would be sparred but not in the sense he wanted. The pain resonated, he realised he's been hit in the stomach and then…darkness, rendering hi unconscious, leaving him laying on stone cold, post-rain pavement. A phone slid out of the pocket of sleek, jet black tuxedo, belonging to the cat. Momentarily, the smooth screen of cat's phone glitched, short-circuited and the only text it now displayed was binary code: "01001100 01100001 00100000 01010110 01101111 01101100 01110000 01100101"

To others it would appear to be gibberish, something a five year old would write with its trembling hand…but…at the end of the day…everything has a meaning. As the screen displayed its sinister message, it dimly illuminated the alleyway, turning it into a temple of blue light, which enlightened the green-eyed stranger, revealing another feature…fox ears, stained with light orange and black at its tips. An eerie chuckle enveloped the alleyway, followed by sharp sound of footsteps, which slowly faded into the light as The Fox vanished among crowds of fellow animals and inhabitants of Zootopia.

Only one fact was known…it was bigger than anything, anyone ever imagined…


	2. Viral Connections

Chapter 2: Viral Connections

06:00 am, Tuesday, 9th September

In the midst of dusky morning, Judy slowly but surely woke up, smashing the alarm clock as it's unbearable screech stopped once and for all. Suddenly, her phone vibrated. "A message, let me guess, Nick wants help with paperwork and he couldn't ask anyone else but me." She quietly murmured as she gazed at the illuminating screen.

"Need you at ZPD…Bogo is going nuts." The screen displayed. Nick's reply weren't usually that short and unceremonious. Seemingly, it appeared to be urgent.

"Be there in 15 minutes." Judy gradually replied with her eyebrows raised as she suddenly sank in confusion. What could be so urgent that even Boggo going nuts about it, well, it's not really unusual but something was definitely off. There was a round-peg amongst square-holes.

15 minutes passed and Judy was partially awake as she sat beside Nick, cautiously listening to Boggo.

"Right, last, Officer Malachowski and Anderson…meter-maid duty. Now give me a hundred tickets before one o'clock! Hurry! Everyone's dismissed." Boggo said in commanding manner, it wasn't a statement, not a question, but a command which contained pure fury, whether it was contained or not.

"This can't be right…" Nick rapidly murmured as he furrowed his eyebrows irritation.

And at that moment of brilliance and pure swift reaction, Boggo glared at Nick, slowly exchanging gaze with Hopps and Wilde. "Hopps, Wilde in my office, now." He told with heavy British accent as he shuffled papers in his hands, and swiftly entered his office, leaving the door slightly open.

As Nick and Judy starred at each other in confusion, they followed Boggo, entering his office with lighting-pace and curiosity as to what could be so important, as well as…secretive, in a manner of speaking.

"Spill the tea Boggo, why'd call us?" Nick asked as he raised his eyebrow while sitting unceremoniously, very predictable of him to do so.

"Because now we're working with ZBI. You'll meet your partners later on your schedule. Now, the brief…"Boggo spoke with fear in his tone, he was clear and solemn. There weren't many things which would frighten him, but this…this seemed different.

"Six incidents, all interconnected and tangled in mysteries. Nobody knows who or why has done it…but everyone knows that they weren't just accidents, there's a deeper meaning to this. Each of our victims possessed a phone, which displayed a binary code—" Suddenly, Boggo was interrupted in the midst of his speech, which soaked with fear and panic.

"Which we've already de-coded. Those so-called incidents were done by someone who knows what they're doing. ZBI tried to identify the attacker but failed…its as if he's a ghost, a poltergeist." The voice was feminine in nature, elusive yet solemn, soft yet straightforward tone.

As Nick turned to face the stranger, realisation pounded him with point-blank reaction as he identified the stranger with ease…despite all her secrecy…Skye Winter.

"La Volpe, translates to The Fox from Italian. It seems our client is a vigilante with an agenda of good-doer, a hand of justice so to speak. The question remains: who is it?" Another voice spoke, this time…formal tone but contained contagious unceremonious manner. Masculine, overflowing with sarcasm and a dash of humour. There was only one individual with such undeniable qualities…Jack Savage.

"Presumably, those incidents serve as a warning of an event yet to come. Last victim's identity is Klaus Vega, a cat, late twenties and somehow…connected to Bellwether." Skye spoke softly, precisely pointing out every detail, as if she was an Inspector on an unsolvable case.

"As you already realised. Those two individuals will be your partners on this case, Skye Winter And Jack Savage." Replied Boggo, in a slow, monotonous tone.

"Pleasure to meet you!" Exclaimed Judy, with a slight smile, realising that she was working with the best of the best operatives.

Now that everything has been set into motion, like a stack of dominos, one after another events happen in an unpredictable order…someone's watching—and they know…they know that their path cannot be escaped…La Volpe, The Fox…sounds familiar, doesn't it…


	3. Stuck In A Loop

Chapter 3: Stuck In A Loop

Another victim, another piece of yet unsolved puzzle…remaining a mystery, laid within bytes of information…

"How long has it passed since you found him?" Asked Skye, with solemness in her tone. Cold, blunt, not even a drop of softness which she always carried within her tone.

"Exactly 45 minutes. All we initially found was him and his phone, which displayed some binary code." A male wolf officer replied. Slowly yet rapidly, his tone shifted from curiosity to confusion.

"Have you ran diagnostics, any personal information?" Nick asked rapidly. He knew there was a solution to all of this, he knew the pieces were right in-front of them…they just had to be put in right places…

"They have, his name is Elijah Lionzo; 24 years old, no known relatives aside from his mother." Judy replied as she paced around the crime scene with a notebook, seeming recording every microscopic detail with brilliant accuracy.

"This doesn't make any sense! Why would anyone do this? Especially in the city centre, I mean we're right near the Tamamo's Tower!" Jack bursted our in irritation as he attempted to make sense of it all…but it just wasn't fitting into the right places, his thoughts were scattered and shattered and thinking process was devastated.

4 pieces of evidence, 4 distinct pieces…all different but all connected: a suitcase, a pen, a photo-camera and a business-card. Yet…there was but one which wasn't numbered, the forgotten piece which would be numbered—it was a smartphone. It was a only a matter of time before Nick numbered it as a fifth piece of evidence. But, he felt a surge, a chain reaction which enveloped his mind, telling him there was someone watching, it wasn't an accident…

"Keep digging on Lionzo, we need to discuss this at the office…something's giving me chills about it." Skye told with solemness in her tone as she slowly strolled towards blacked-out police cruiser as she gave the crime scene one, last glance. Little did anyone knew, her solemness masked her fear as it dashed and creeped through her thoughts.

"I've got no idea how we're going to solve this. We either don't have enough evidence or w—" Savage was interrupted in a swift moment by Judy as both of them entered the car and sat down, sulking in confusion.

"Or we're just not looking at it from the angle…"Judy replied with a heavy, pounding sigh which devastated the atmosphere.

Only Nick seemed to be deep in his thoughts, investigating his mind-palace, which looked as if he was daydreaming. The word "six"echoed through his mind as he seemingly froze in his seat.

"This isn't an accident, which is most like that we're looking at this from the wrong angle. Think about it, six victims aside from this one, six locations which are interconnected. There has be something, otherwise all of this would be meaningless." Nick told rapidly as he starred blankly into the air as if he was daydreaming.

"Those crimes took place in different locations at a different time, there is no connection. Plus, only serial-killers leave calling cards." Replied Jack with a hint of anger and frustration.

"Yeah well they don't leave random binary code as a calling card now do they?!" Nick exclaimed as he suddenly unfroze and began speaking like a normal person.

"Guys enough…we're going to discuss this at the office." Skye suddenly broke up the argument as she was being pushed to the edge of her irritation. Everything seemed blurry, the deeper they delve into this case, the greater this mist of confusion becomes…at least…to the majority that is…

As they drive, silence has fallen upon them, It hungered for their thoughts and confusion as they neared the ZPD building.

When they finally entered the office, Nick began pacing around, he delved deeper into this as he scattered photos and reports of the last six victims…six…the word screamed and echoed through his mind as others stood at the table and looked at the photos, trying to work out a solution to this…encrypted—mystery.

"Bingo!" Suddenly, everything seemed crystal clear to Nick as every piece was finally put to its place, like a jigsaw puzzle, the evidence arranged itself in his mind, following an order of which only he thought.

"It's not about the on-site evidence…it's about the environment. The time, the place, the phone. Now, arrange the victims by the place in which they were found, from first to sixth." Nick said cautiously as he glanced at the photos of all six victims.

Before him unravelled all six locations on the map of Zootopia: Canal District, Creavers Valley, Frozen Jaw, Woody Slopes, Coyote Canyons and Otterdams. Once connected, all created a symbol…a sign…a Fox Head made of dots and line. It was all just a beginning…


	4. Adagio For Wilde

Chapter 4: Adagio For Wilde

Nick was feeling it, he felt the awe of the moment as if gave him an adrenaline rush, excitement and pride coursing through his veins as it soaked his thoughts in pride, however…it was far from over…

"It isn't over yet."Nick murmured to himself as Jack glanced at him, swiftly yet sharply.

"You think there's more? I'm pretty we've got far enough." Jack replied casually, as exhaustion raced through his thoughts.

"What's the location of our latest victim?" Nick asked sharply as he narrowed his eyes. Looking at the board in front of him as it displayed the symbol of a Fox Head, interconnected with lines, as if it was a web.

It was dark in the office. The ZPD was nearly empty, barren as most of police officers have already left the building, with an exception of Jack, Sky, Judy and Nick. There was little light as ebony evening pierced through the curtains, invading the office…but…there was just enough light to see the board in front of them, dotted with evidence…proof of a mystery turned undeniable truth…or was it…

"Tamamo's Tower, Right in the centre of this symbol…we must've missed something…something significant that will rain on this." Judy replied slowly as she squinted her eyes, starring at the red spot in middle, the heart of the symbol…

"We have to go back to the crime scene, if there's crucial we missed them we need it, urgently. There are greater powers at play and we need to know who they are." Skye stated with seriousness yet softness and logic in her feminine voice.

Yet again, they were going back, way back…back to the origin of they're undeniable truth. It was unusually quiet in the police cruiser they were driving, they all knew that something grand was about to happen, yet what…nobody knew. They were back in the territory of confusion as it slowly crept and preyed, pouring into their minds and invading their thoughts, a ripple in a pond of water, a lock without a key…a fox without a name…or…is that so…

As rain poured from the dusky sky of soothing, pale blue evening, our protagonists have finally arrived back at the origin…the seventh crime scene, Elijah Lionzo

"Search everything in this alleyway, if there's even a slightest detail of information that will lead us closer to the solution then I want to know it." Jack stated in stone-cold manner as he swiftly exited the vehicle and shit the door. He was fed up with all this, they have gotten closer but their progress was that of a snail trying to go 80 miles per hour.

"No need to be cold Jack, we're all tired and drained and we all want to know who is this mysterious vigilante." Judy remarked with usual and expected wittiness, perhaps the only optimist in this group.

As their discussion rolled off a cliff, the search for clues begun. They searched every inch, every wall and millimetre of this freezing, jet-black alleyway which was strangely reminiscent of a Void, trapping everything…yet letting nothing escape. A perfect black-hole at the very heart of Zootopia, filled with lies, conspiracies and secrets of which answers are still yet to be illuminated…

And finally…there it was, a key to a fragile lock, tangled by chains of mystery and endless question. There it was, a piece of evidence which would turn everything around and morph a mystery…into undeniable truth…an audio recording, a dictaphone.

"I found something! You guys need to see it, most likely that it will lead us to the solution." Skye exclaimed with a grin as she lifted up a dictaphone.

"What did you find?" Nick asked curiously as he strolled towards her.

She handed him a dictaphone and slowly, Nick pressed the play button unsure of what he would hear as Judy and Jack gathered around to hear the words of La Volpe. Little did Nick know, that this evidence, this crystal key…would be a nightmare which haunted him for years…

"It's been 18 years…18 Years since I erased who I am, 18 years since I've forgotten my family and went into shadows to protect those who now call me The Vigilante and label me as an anarchist, but…there's a greater power at play, a familiar connection which reminds of my mission. It's time to shed the light…" This voice, it sounded familiar, a ghost from the past, a mere shard of glass that followed Nick no matter where he was. He couldn't hide, he couldn't run, he could only recognise…and remember.

"No, no, no…how is this possible…but he is dead." Nick thought to himself as this gravely voice with tones of solidity and bluntness flooded his thoughts, a contagion which spread rapidly and swiftly, penetrating his mind and finally rewinding time to the very…beginning…

"Adrian…" a soft murmur would fly out of Nick's mouth and gradually wither as everyone watched his expressions morph from excitement to sheer panic and denial.

Suddenly, lights went out, electricity shut down. Entire city went black as panic invaded its streets, causing widespread fear and paranoia. A Blackout, a perfect demonstration of one's control over the city.

"Hello again…brother…" A figure stepped out of the shadows as the screen of its smartphone illuminated the alleyway, finally shedding light upon the mystery. His eyes were radiant emerald green as he walked out of the shadows with a cunning mark u dear his scarf which covered his mouth. Now, the dead mystery, becomes a walking legend…


	5. A Trip Down The Memory Lane

Chapter 5: A Trip Down The Memory Lane

As Zootopia illuminated again and power-grid finally started working, it all became clear…the subtle messages, the clues, the hints, the 'read between the lines' moments, it all became clear, and now…a dead myth, became a living legend…

"YOU—no, no, no…this can't be true, my brother is dead, he died 18 years ago. You are NOT Adrian!" Nick stated as he rapidly backed away. Bewilderment and bitter taste of denial have soaked his words as he narrowed his eyes in fury.

"Or did he? I suppose you were to blind to decode all my messages Nick. Who lead ZPD to Howlson? Who do you think left Felicity Otterstone unconscious? Oh and, the incident of 2018; two squads of finest ZPD officers unconscious, same for three units of SWAT oh and, two ZBI agents…left laying unconscious on the cold pavement of Nocturnal District. Seeing the pattern now…brother?" Adrian replied as he stepped out of the shadowy alleyway, revealing his attire and appearance.

Adrian was slightly taller than Nick, standing at 4'6", with a slightly lighter shades of orange and black outline around the edges of his ears. Attire-wise, he wore a pale brown and grey trench coat, with a baseball cap and short, thin woollen scarf around his neck, tucked underneath the collar of his trench coat.

"You led the law enforcements there on purpose, a reminder of my old home…our old home."Nick replied slowly, with a hint of despair in his tone as he glared at Adrian, glared into his eyes, realising whom he was looking at.

"Now you're thinking Nick. So, have we got this over with? I'd like to move onto the interesting part and brief you all on some things you've missed which I haven't." Adrian replied rapidly as he exchanged stares and glances with Judy, Jack and Sky. He spoke with solid logic in his formal tone.

"Not so fast. We want some questions answered first. Plus, you're a criminal." Skye replied with solemness as she gripped her tranquilliser and starred at Adrian with distrust, slowly examining him from top to bottom and vice-versa.

"Right, let me explain a few things to you then, since you're to blind to see them." Adrian spoke swiftly as he took as he rolled his eyes and chuckled. "First, I didn't kill anyone. It was ketamine, a substance commonly used in production of tranquilliser darts. That why every victim had abnormal heart rate and light rash. Second, I've work as a liquidator for three years, that is why I know so much about fighting, martial arts and all that jazz. But as you can see, I'm also a grey-hat hacker and a vigilante." Adrian replied briskly and logically, he shoved his phone in the right pocket of his trench coat as he mockingly bowed when he finished speaking.

"That still doesn't explain why you've done all of this. Which means that we can still arrest you and you will face a severe prison sentence." Jack strolled towards him. He spoke clearly with his usual formal manner and a distinct British accent.

"Or can you? There's something you don't know that I do, therefore you need me." Adrian reprimanded as he gave threw Savage a death stare and turned his attention to Nick, Judy and Skye.

"Know what? We've solved the case, we're pretty much done here." Jack replied hastily as he faced Adrian with irritation on his face, soaking his eyes with fury and disgust.

"It seems that some of us are oblivious to the reality of things. Why don't we speak about it at your office. Plus, you haven't solved this case…you merely started it." Adrian replied with a chuckle as he glared at Jack, piercing his soul with fear.

With the mystery out of the Long told mystery of "The Vigilante"out of the way, it's now time to discuss the real case…


End file.
